The Town of Munster, like many municipalities, will be raising their water and sanitary rates in the next year or two, but one councilman wants Public Works to give an exact accounting before it approves any hikes.
The Town Council at its December 2 meeting voted on first reading 4-1, with Councilman Jonathan Petersen, R-5, casting the lone dissent, to increase the water and stormwater management fees starting in 2026. The rates would increase a little more than 9% over three years, with monthly metered consumption for residential/sprinkler use of 0 to 5000 gallons going up to $7.74 from $7.51 in 2026, then to $7.97 in 2027 and $8.20 in 2028, according to the ordinance amendment; for residents using between 5,001 and 15,000 gallons, the rates would increase to $7.32 from $7.10 in 2026, then to $7.54 in 2027 and $7.76 in 2028.
With the different variables that count toward the total — season, meter size and sprinkler systems — Munster residents’ bills would likely range from $85 to $140, Clerk-Treasurer Wendy Mis said.
When the town initially increased the rates in 2022, it had $2.5 million in ARPA funds to soften the blow, Interim Town Manager Patricia Abbott told the council. But now, there are projects, such as lead service in some of the lines and other lines in grave need of repair, the Public Works needs to tackle.
A few residents pushed back on the increase during the public hearing held early in the meeting. Donna Chefalo said her bill has “doubled” since she moved to town 15 years ago.
“Is this a continuous thing every three years? Because my salary hasn’t increased every year,” she said. “Please look at it and think of your residents.”
Another resident, Christine Fortney, asked the council to think about its senior residents who have fixed incomes before increasing the rates.
“How am I going to water my grass?” Fortney said.
Petersen for his part, asked where the department came up with the projection of between $738,000 and $2.6 million for the improvements and said that since Adams during a recent study session told the council the town wouldn’t need the rate hikes until 2026, there’s no rush to implement them.
“Why don’t we pause this and give the experts (in Public Works) the ability to sit down look at long-term budgeting to see if we even need an increase?” Petersen said. “We may need it, and I don’t want to give anyone the illusion that we don’t, but at the end of the day, we are a $70 million organization, and we don’t have a plan in place. It’s astonishing.”
Councilman Joe Hofferth, R-2, clarified that Adams said the rate increase would kick in in 2026 — not that the town wouldn’t need it until then — but also that Petersen didn’t mention the everyday water main emergencies the town has to cover.
“We have 30-plus breaks a year, and our new Public Works Director presented us a budget that’s conservative compared with what our professionals at Baker Tilly presented — there was a $600,000 differential — and it’s just a matter of being proactive,” Hofferth said. “I mean, you’re basically talking about is sitting on our heels and wait to come up with a plan, but sometimes the best plan is to be proactive so that we’re ahead of the curve in fixing these things.”
The council also voted 4-1, with Petersen dissenting again, to implement a 4% increase to the town’s stormwater management fee to start in 2026 as well, while it voted unanimously to implement a solid waste management increase to start in March. That solid waste fee will increase 8% to $31.71, from $29.36, in March, then 3.5% each year for the next three years.
In other business, Petersen continued his quest to not pay town attorney firm Westland & Bennett over what he claims is its failure to complete an overhaul of the town’s zoning code in an agreed-upon time, but added high-density housing to the urgency. A new development south of the Westlakes subdivision is zoned for high-density, and Petersen claimed School Town of Munster Superintendent Bret Heller and Board of Trustees President John Doherty told the council the schools wouldn’t be able to handle the giant influx of children high-density housing would provide.
Heller, however, told the Post-Tribune that accommodating increased enrollment “depends on several factors, including the scale and nature of the development, the expected student generation rate, and the distribution of students across grade levels.”
“Currently, our elementary schools are at varying degrees of capacity, while our middle and high schools have some room to accommodate more students,” Heller said in an email. “Without specific details on the proposed housing development, it’s challenging to provide a definitive answer. However, to provide a definitive assessment of our ability to accommodate future growth, we are conducting an in-depth demographic and student forecast study.
“This comprehensive analysis will help us understand enrollment trends and the impact of different housing types on our student population over the next decade. By proactively gathering this data, we will be better equipped to make informed decisions about future housing developments and ensure that our district can effectively meet the educational needs of all our students.”
Additionally, developers typically go with their plans before a town’s Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals for those boards’ recommendations, and the town council then issues the final vote for or against the plans.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
